This is a fine novel, filled with interesting characters, well developed and all connected through their living in the Yacoubian building, a large, multi-family building that has seen better days in Cairo. From the street level to the roof where many families make their home, we trace the daily struggles, small victories, and disappointments which we could fine in any large city today. That is part of the beauty of this novel, for we sometimes forget that it does not matter if we look at Cairo, Paris, Tokyo, that the human condition is in the end, the same. And, it has not changed that much throughout history.

We find an idealistic young man whose dreams of become a police officer are crushed due to the fact that his father is a common man; in response, he becomes radicalized. There is an aging playboy who is rolled by his latest “sweetheart,” demonized by his sister and faces an uncertain future. A Christian shirtmaker who dreams of making the finest shirts in Cairo and the wealthy businessman who reaches too high. The female characters work and dream of the same things as in the West and face the same hurdles with a bravery that equals that of any individual around the world who faces poverty and few opportunities.

If you have never been to Egypt (visit, it is a fantastic nation filled with wonderful people), this little novel will open the country to you and make you feel at home.

The author has published other successful books, but he makes his living as a dentist in Cairo. The stories are based on the location and characters that he has known through his life and perhaps that is why you will feel so close to them; he writes about them with a feeling of respect and love.

If you are looking for a bit of escape, invest some time in this little gem.

Years ago, when learning how Hitler, Lenin, etc., seized power, it was easy to see the path and to identify the players who were so dangerous. In the excellent article by Larry Arnn, the President of Hillsdale College, we see another path taken by those who can destroy our liberties with (giving them the benefit of the doubt) the best of intentions. Do they fully realize the cost of their actions? Certainly, there seems to be no cost to them personally for the damage they cause, but then, it was all with the best of intentions.

After reading the article, you may believe it is the writing of a paranoia, yet it comes together oh so smoothly. A short cut here, a “necessary” action there and soon you have an entirely new set of rules by which your life is governed. If you disagree with the new rules, to whom do you turn? Who will hear your views? Your local representative? They are the ones who have helped to create the “solutions” by relying on the “experts,” so who are you to complain?

The greatest injustices in human history have been committed by those who act “with the best of intentions.”  Think back; has any dictator or tyrant ever announced his deadly policies in terms other than solving injustices?

There are solutions, but they require brave individuals who will stand for their traditional values and guidelines, as two examples are noted in the article. Those who have taken brave stands are not “experts,” but as Winston Churchill once said, they know that “what hurts is a safer guide (in their lives) than any vigorous direction of a specialized character.”

https://imprimis.hillsdale.edu/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/Imprimis_Nov_11-21_8pgWEB.pdf

“Nothing would be more fatal than for the government of States to get into the hands of experts. Expert knowledge is limited knowledge: and the unlimited ignorance of the plain man who knows only what hurts is a safer guide, than any vigorous direction of a specialized character. Why should you assume that all except doctors, engineers, etc. are drones or worse?”-Winston Churchill writing to H.G. Wells

There were fifty-six men who signed the Declaration of Independence. Of those fifty-six:

• Five were captured by the British, tortured and died in captivity
• Twelve had their houses ransacked and burned
• Two lost a son who was serving in the Revolutionary Army
• Nine fought in the war and died of wounds or hardships of the War

Those men knew the dangers they faced as they were all considered traitors to the Crown, yet they stood up for what they believed. Fortunately, we today seldom must be as brave as those men as they sacrificed for us, and other generations were willing to lay their lives and fortunes on the line for the principles outlined by those fifty-six men.

Yet, there are times when individuals today are faced with decisions based on principles. The link below is an example of an individual who has taken a stand on principle (and a rejection of propaganda) and who has paid the price.

Hopefully, you will never be put into a similar situation, but keep in mind that there are forces in this world which will not hesitate to test the limits of your personal courage.

https://www.city-journal.org/black-lives-matter-thomson-reuters-and-the-price-of-dissent

When the Cold War ended, many felt that it signified the end of totalitarianism and dictatorship. The world would move forward into a new age where individuals and societies would be freer to determine their futures. As we have seen however, there are those societies and individuals who seem to have chosen to continue along the path which limits the freedom of the individual and seeks to continue what is the main course of human history, that of strong leaders who believe they have found the true path to a better world as outlined by their own vision, paranoia and sense of victimhood.

Are the visions of the leaders of Russia, China, Turkey, North Korea, and others simply anomalies or do they reflect a natural inclination of mankind? How is it that leaders can be supported as they move to limit freedoms, begin to imprison opponents, and even move toward genocide, often of their own citizens? This book allows us to learn from the past and see how it is often those who are considered the “best and the brightest” to begin to move down the path of tyranny and destruction.

From my reading of the subject, this is the best history of the RSHA which incorporated the SD, Gestapo, and the Criminal Police and provided the leadership for the killing squads that roamed through Europe from the invasion of Poland in September 1939 until late in the war.

     Unlike the popular image of the SA, the street enforcers of the Nazis especially prior to the “revolution” when Hitler rode into power, much of the leadership of the RSHA came out of the university student unions which gained such power after WWI. Today, at many of our universities, we see leftist demonstrations aimed at seizing administrative power at all levels, blocking dissenting views, demanding the ouster of “unenlightened” professors, etc. But in the 1930’s it was the right wing at the universities which interrupted lectures, led massive demonstrations and frequently started violent conflicts with those who dared to challenge them. Although most of the students had little contact with Jews, by 1930 only a couple of fraternities accepted Jews as members and the anti-Semitism was directed not only at students but also professors and administrators.

     With the Nazi seizure of power, leading students joined first the SA, then moved into the SS and were transferred to the RSHA. Many had received their doctorates in law and were perfectly trained to administer the ever-expanding realm of the RSHA.

     Totalitarian states such as Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union operate on several levels. You have the official state apparatus which is called the “Normative State” and then you have the “Prerogative State” which exists and operates outside the normal boundaries of the State and Society. The “Prerogative State” consists of paramilitary militias, the secret police, informers, etc. Both Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union relied on the police to maintain control and not the army (which was co-opted, infiltrated, etc.). The real rule of the secret police, according to Hanna Arendt, begins when domestic opposition (traditional political foes) ends (usually through extermination) and then the search for “objective” foes begins.

    This is an excellent book for those who are genuinely interested in this subject. It traces numerous individuals, often from their university days through their movement within the RSHA. With no indication of previous thoughts or actions, top university students move from studies to anti-Semitism to active participation in the shooting of hundreds, then thousands, then tens of thousands of men, women, and children. And in the end, after the war, the overwhelming majority went back to Germany and led ordinary lives. Some became government officials in post-war Germany while others became police officials and even members of the bar. How those men who had ordered and participated in the slaughter of thousands could escape any form of retribution is due in part to the post-war fear of the Soviet Union, the efforts of the average Germans to deny any knowledge of crimes and blame it all on the highly visible SS, the ignorance of the victors about the organization of the Nazi state and smart politicians such as Konrad Adenauer who managed to play East against West in his effort to resurrect the new German state.

Thousands of youthful, idealistic minds were bent to oppressing others all in the name of a greater good. It should serve as a lesson to responsible adults that youth throughout history are more easily led by demigods and that indulging them in their folly without adult guidance can lead to terrible, even deadly consequences.

     This is not an easy book to read as it is extremely detailed, and the novice will quickly be lost in the details. But for anyone interested in this fascinating subject, it is well worth the effort.

Slowly, ever so slowly, the world is beginning to learn the cost of going “green” and it is not pretty. A quick study of Americans showed that they would be willing to spend $100 a year to “save the planet” but the actual cost is closer to $5,000 a year; this includes providing India-for example=$1,000,000,000,000 (trillion) as a start to solve their pollution. Obviously, that is not going to happen, and it is foolish to expect the leaders of India, China, and the entire Third World to hold back their nations development while the wealthy nations go on their merry way. While you are expected to separate your garbage into various containers, India and China are building hundreds of new coal powered plants without the latest coal scrubbing technology and Germany is breaking records of emitting CO2.

Politicians who have been hiding the cost of going “green” to pander for votes are running up against the actual cost of their promises and they quake with the thought of raising taxes to meet the costs. What is to be done? The world leaders need to realize that you cannot have it all and that they need to prioritize within realistic budget figures what will provide the most benefit at the best cost.

The link to the article will provide you with more real-world information on the cost and options than all the sensational propaganda spewed out by those who make their living by beating the ”green” drum.

https://www.wsj.com/articles/soaring-energy-prices-only-the-beginning-climate-change-net-zero-renewable-wind-electricity-11641417084?mod=Searchresults_pos1&page=1

Sometime in our history, Congress decided to hand the reins of power to the bureaucracy, also known as the administrative state. Now Congress did not take a cut in pay when they did this; no, they continue to make a nice salary, have excellent benefits and a great retirement program. By allowing the bureaucrats to develop an administrative state, they have managed to avoid most of the heavy work of the laws they do pass. It is relatively easy to pass a law, but the demanding work is creating the rules and regulations which enforce the laws, and the bureaucracy has been given what seems to be a free hand in creating rules that can go far beyond the intention and meaning of the laws.

The recent EPA mileage standards are a prime example of how bureaucrats can change society without ever having to face the public and how our representative’s pawn off details which could endanger their time in power if their names were on the regulations.

The link below will direct you to an article that shows exactly how unelected bureaucrats can dictate rules which impact the auto industry which is over 3% of our economy, the cost of energy, increase taxes and override the capitalist system transforming our nation into a society run by central planning. The serious facts and questions raised in the article are not answered by anyone at the EPA; there is no public debate, no discussion of scientific opinions, only the rule of government agencies. We are in danger of being ruled not by laws created by our elected representatives, but rather by ideologues and a faceless administrative state.

https://www.wsj.com/articles/the-epas-mileage-standards-are-a-stealth-electric-vehicle-mandate-auto-industry-cars-regulation-11640726730?page=1

To travel, especially internationally, in the time of covid takes dedication and patience. Each country you visit is ruled by politicians who, even if we are generous of them, are simply overwhelmed by the covid, their lack of options, previous failed policies, and the fear that their actions have created in their own public. But life and travel must go on.

The first hurdle one must face is the ever-changing restrictions and rules regarding covid that can change literally day by day. Watching the news in the U.K. and speaking with locals, there seems to be a consensus that the pols and medical “experts” don’t really know what to do. At least in the U.K., the pols “urge” citizens to isolate as much as possible as any mandate would be deadly (remember, their pols live in a parliamentary system which can react much more quickly than ours). Yes, wear face masks (even as they admit they are not much use), but just act like adults and get your shots. As an example:

 To get on our flight to London, we needed to complete a “Passenger Locator Form” for the U.K. government. This form included the information on a covid test that we had to take during the first two days upon landing which included information on a test which we had to purchase online. The result could take up to two days for completion and one is expected to self-isolate in the interim. As we were only going to be in London for three days, that was a poor option, so we paid extra for a test with results in a few hours. All the lab had to do was to deliver the test to us when we landed, which of course, they failed to do. Now you might ask, why take a test after one lands as if you are covid-positive, the potential damage is greater, but then you don’t understand the bureaucratic mind. So, we paid about $200 for the fast test which of course, was not waiting for us. As the test was not waiting for us upon arrival, we decided to visit a local pharmacy and pay $250 each for a fast test (so much for the National Health Service and free medical coverage). Yes, the original ordered test did arrive near the end of day two would have given us results after we left. Ver helpful. We did return the late test package and are getting a refund. To add insult to injury, the crack customs people did not ask to see our proof of the ordered test but quickly welcomed us in the country.

Recently, the Vice President of the U.S. said that if the voting rights bill stalled in Congress does not pass, the U.S. will be “off the map as a role model” for elections; it is too bad she is so uneducated regarding who is setting the map for more secure and accurate elections. The bill as written, may very well be un-Constitutional as it seems to circumvent Article 1, Section 4 of the Constitution. The idea that the U.S. is a role model for elections is open to debate however, as the link to the article by John R. Lott, Jr. points out.

Of forty-seven countries in Europe, forty-six of them require a government issued ID to vote. During the last major election in India, over six hundred million Indian citizens voted, each with a government issued ID, while Mexico has not only a government issued ID but also biometrics for elections (with the result that more people are voting due to greater confidence in election honesty). Yet somehow, one party in the U.S. opposes a government issued ID as it will place too much of a burden on some individuals; perhaps that party is correct, there is systemic racism in the U.S., but it is practiced by the party which claims to be in the forefront of stopping it.

The need for election reform goes beyond voter ID however, for the European models also have procedures designed to ensure the integrity of elections. The fact that most Federal and many state elections since 2000 have been challenged (mostly by the party which opposes voter ID), should indicate that reforms are needed, but reforms which are designed to provide greater confidence in the electoral process.

How is it that the nation which held the line and won the Cold War just thirty-two years ago, stands challenged by China, Russia, and Tehran? How did we go from being what some called, a hyper-power to a power that left Afghanistan in a humiliating manner? How is it that our allies have fallen from our side and have sold their collective security for a supply of heating fuel after realizing that the great Green Dream is nothing more than a mirage?

While we debate CRT and look the other way at broken educational and judicial systems in our largest cities, our foes surge ahead, planning new geographical conquests and our economic demise. Our political leaderships response to international threats are proposals for more domestic debt aimed not at our revitalization, but at previously unknown definitions of infrastructure.  At the same time, our military spending is increased at about twenty percent of actual inflation. Linked to a new definition of “its free,” we seem to have lost our ability to deal with the real world and act in an adult manner regarding our finances.

The linked article by noted British author and historian, Andrew Roberts ends by asking if we as a nation can regain our moral health, marital vigor and turn aside from the acceptance of eclipse. I fear that with our current national leadership, the answer is not what we would wish.

https://quillette.com/2021/12/04/the-decline-of-american-empire-a-kubler-ross-cycle-analysis/